The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1887-08-19
coRoNER's INQUEST.

Very Sensational Evidence Intro
duced, Tending to Show the Dis
aster Was the Work of Train
Wreckers.
CHATswoRTH, ILL.,, Aug. 13.-A coron-
er's jury of exceptional intelligence,
with Postmaster W. W. Sears as fore
man, entered yesterday upon the task
of endeavoring to discover whether the
catastrophe of Thursday morning was
due to accident or design. Horrible
and incredible as the latter theory may
seem at first sight, it Is nevertheless
true. 1t has many supporters among
the residents of Chatsworth, and it is al
SO upheld by some of the leading Off
Gals of the road. Certain it is, however,
that the evidence taken pointed more
strongly to the probabilities that train
wreckers were at the bottom of the hor-
ror, than to the original idea that the
bridge over the culvert had been set on
fire by the burning grass beneath. In
the preliminary testimony Yesterday
morning the fact was developed that, in
order to insure the safety of the train,
which was the heaviest that had ever
gone over the road, orders had been is
sued to the foremen of the various sec
lions to make careful examination of
the track and culverts on Wednesday
afternoon. That portion of the road on
which the accident occurred was in
charge of Timothy Cughlin, and what he
told the jury was brief to the point. He
had gone over the road and examined
the bridge over the culvert of death
within half dozen hours of midnight
on Wednesday. He found it in good
condition. There were no signs of fire.
In fact, there was nothing to burn. The
fields all around had been recently
moved, and no longer than week ago
all the grass around the culvert had
been burned right into the soil on pur-
pose to secure the safety of the Imbers
and the track which rested upon them.
Roadmaster Ennis, who went over the
trestle on hand car later in the even
ing, swore it was sound and strong.
Then VIM. Hellam, well-to-do farmer
living in the neighborhood, was called
to the stand and told story that
CREATED A SENSATION.
He said while standing ON the platform
at Chatsworth waiting with his son for
the Inflated train he repeatedly saw a
peculiar light upon the track about in
the neighborhood Of where the train
subsequently went down. At first he
thought it was fire, but from its disap-
pearance and temperance at intervals
during period of three hours he came
to the conclusion that somebody was
swinging big lantern, or that locomo-
tive was moving to and rs. This was
kept up until a little while before the
hour the train was due at Chatsworth,
aud seemed to him so remarkable he
called the attention of several people
around him to the fact. Hellam's state
ment was corroborated by his son, who,
with his father, got on board the train
and barely escaped with their lives, and
by Julius Koplke, farmer living within
a quarter of mile of the track, and who
saw what seemed to be small fire near
the culvert shortly before midnight.
Testimony pointing in the same direc-
ton was given by several other witness
es before the inquiry was adjourned.
Those who held the theory of train
wrecking believe there wasan organized
gang of thieves on board the train, and
that the bridge was destroyed by con-
federates as the result of a well laid plot.
In support of this theory numerous stor-
les of the robbing of the dead and injur-
ed are being passed from mouth to
mouth, but the mouths of the dead are
closed and the injured who are cited can
not be found either here or at Piper
City. Developments in this connection,
however, are promised before the end
of the present investigation, and il
would not be surprising if the jury in its
verdict should fix the responsibility for
the disaster upon some person or per-
sons unknown, and have the railroad
company or the country free to use their
own discretion in following up the mat
ter to an end.
THE ACTUAL NUMBER OF DEATHS
has not been accurately determined.
The railroad authorities claim the total
is 81, while only 70 are on the list in
the possession of Coroner Long, and OF
these two at last are alive and uninjured.
There have been four deaths at Piper
City, which would bring the total up to
n. The fact appears to be, however, that
in the excitement and confusion which
prevailed on Thursday a number OF
bodies were sent to Peoria of which no
record was retained, and those who have
been upon the scene since the hour OF
the accident insist that the death role
exceeds 100. The number of those who
sustained injuries, serious and slight, is
fully 100.